Areas of Expertise : Adult Learning
AIR Experts in Education Guide (PDF)
Adult Education
Adult Education enables adults to acquire the basic skills necessary to function in today's society so that they can benefit from the completion of secondary school, enhanced family life, attain citizenship and participate in job training and retraining programs. AIR’s adult learning work focuses on adult literacy, English language learning, and adult learning environments such as community colleges. We conduct research and provide professional development and technical assistance to state and program staff. Our team includes former teachers and practitioners, researchers, data analysts, and professional development specialists.
Recent Reports
- The Adult Education Training and Education Survey (ATES) Pilot Study
- Children’s Elementary School Outcomes After Participating in Family Literacy Programs
- Evaluation of the First 5 LA Family Literacy Initiative: Final Evaluation Report
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Recent Projects
Adult English as a Second Language
AIR evaluates strategies for teaching adults English, identifies promising programs, and recommends ways to promote effective approaches.
Recent Reports
- Children’s Elementary School Outcomes After Participating in Family Literacy Programs
- Common ELL Terms and Definitions
- Transitioning English Language Learners, Annotated Bibliography
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Recent Projects
Classroom Instruction
Understanding and improving classroom instruction is a central component of many of AIR’s evaluation and technical assistance projects. AIR designs high- and low-inference classroom observation tools and, using highly trained observers, conducts observations in a variety of classroom settings. Data on classroom instruction are integrated into recommendations for improving schools and classrooms.
Recent Reports
- Study of Teacher Preparation in Early Reading Instruction
- Expectations and Reports of Homework for Public School Students in the First, Third, and Fifth Grades
- Impact of Two Professional Development Interventions on Early Reading Instruction and Achievement Report
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Recent Projects
- Wisconsin Reading Excellence and Demonstration of Success Initiative (READS)
- Indiana Diagnostic Assessments Study
- Ohio Healthy Schools Profile System
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Recent Products
Cultural Competency
The ability to understand, communicate with, and interact effectively with people from different cultures is an especially important skill to possess in a 21st century global economy. AIR conducts research and evaluation, synthesizes information, develops tools to improve, and provides consultation and technical assistance to increase cultural and linguistic competence in education, mental health, juvenile justice, child welfare, and youth development. AIR’s approaches involve individual and organizational assessment and capacity development, disparity reduction, and the collection and analysis of data.
Recent Reports
Evaluation of Educational Programs and Policies
AIR is a national leader in identifying and evaluating education environments and systems both locally and nationally. We help stakeholders determine which policies and practices are most effective in their schools and communities. AIR provides a range of program assessment and evaluation tasks, including: developing evaluation plans; training; technical assistance; formative research; survey design and analysis; and process and outcome evaluations.
Recent Reports
- Instruction Across the High School—College Divide (2009)
- Can Financial Aid Improve Student Success at Louisiana’s Community Colleges?
- Hawaii Race to the Top Evaluation
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Recent Projects
- ELL Policy Analysis and Related Work
- Evaluation of the Massachusetts Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL) Initiative
- Evaluation of the TEACh Initiative
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Recent Products
Implementation of Educational Programs and Policies
AIR evaluates the implementation of educational programs, policies, and practices, and provides recommendations to improve implementation. We also look at capacity, challenges, and strategies for scaling up model programs and practices.
Recent Reports
- Instruction Across the High School—College Divide (2009)
- Hawaii Race to the Top Evaluation
- Turnaround Schools in California: Who Are They and What Strategies Do They Use?
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Recent Projects
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally representative assessment of English literacy among American adults age 16 and older. Sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NAAL is the nation's most comprehensive measure of adult literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). AIR provides technical assistance and management support, including expert analysis, and technical review of assessment frameworks, field test items, and reports. We also provide technical assistance on NAAL-restricted and public use files.
Recent Reports
- The Literacy of America's College Students
- Highlights from the 2003 Maryland State Assessment of Adult Literacy
- Highlights from the 2003 Kentucky State Assessment of Adult Literacy
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Recent Projects
Postsecondary Education
AIR’s research and evaluation work in postsecondary education identifies successful practices to increase educational access and to coordinate K-12 preparation with postsecondary needs. We explore cost-effective ways to deliver postsecondary educational services and training, and help colleges and universities foster environments that maximize learning, research productivity, and innovation.
Recent Reports
- The Price of a Science Ph.D.
- Higher Education Pays: The Initial Earnings of Graduates of Texas Colleges and Universities Who Are Working in Texas
- The Adult Education Training and Education Survey (ATES) Pilot Study
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Recent Projects
- ELL Content Centers
- St. Louis Regional College Access Pipeline (CAP)
- College & Career Readiness & Success Center
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Recent Products
Reading and Literacy
AIR’s work in reading and literacy spans early childhood to adult education, and focuses on literacy in schools and the workplace. Varied methodologies include quantitative and qualitative analyses, cognitive laboratory interviews and critical incident exercises, and evidence-based technical assistance. Whether investigating teacher knowledge about beginning reading instruction, studying the effectiveness of computer-based reading interventions, or providing guidance about adolescent struggling readers, sound theoretical principles and scientifically-based evidence are AIR’s touchstones.
Recent Reports
- The Impact of the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Program on Student Reading Achievement
- Evaluation of the Content Literacy Continuum: Report on Program Impacts, Program Fidelity, and Contrast
- Children’s Elementary School Outcomes After Participating in Family Literacy Programs
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- Wisconsin Reading Excellence and Demonstration of Success Initiative (READS)
- New York State Curriculum Audits
- Milwaukee Public Schools Striving Readers Evaluation
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Recent Products
Workplace Literacy
Meeting the needs of a global economy requires a workforce that is able to adapt to new technologies at a rapid pace. Enhancing our nation’s literacy and numeracy skills is central to maintaining a globally competitive workforce. AIR has extensive experience leading the development of national assessments of basic cognitive and literacy skills, and has been involved in translating those measures into requirements for occupations in the national economy.
